Latest news with #EbbaBusch
E&E News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Atomic lobby seizes on Spanish blackout
BRUSSELS — Europe's nuclear advocates are pushing their favorite energy source as a deterrent against the type of blackout that seized Spain and Portugal last week — even if the facts paint a muddied picture. The EU's atomic allies are claiming that having more nuclear energy coursing through the grid can help ensure a stable power supply to back up renewable sources like wind and solar. 'If you want a lot of power and you want it to be fossil-free, then nuclear is your pick,' Swedish Industry and Energy Minister Ebba Busch said in an interview. Advertisement Specialists and other officials, including those in Spain, aren't convinced. While they concede that having more overall power can aid in certain circumstances, they aren't convinced nuclear energy would have prevented Monday's outage, which was caused by a sudden loss of power in the Iberian grid. Europe's grids, like those in Spain, need upgrades, better linkages and more storage tech like batteries to keep power stable, they stress.
Reuters
17-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
EU support could help Northvolt attract new owner, Sweden says
BRUSSELS, March 17 (Reuters) - The European Union should amend its clean-tech funding rules to allow bankrupt Swedish battery cell maker Northvolt to access support that could help it attract a potential new owner, Sweden's deputy prime minister told Reuters on Monday. Electric vehicle battery maker Northvolt said last week it had filed for bankruptcy, opens new tab in Sweden, marking one of the country's largest corporate failures and upending Europe's best hope of developing a rival to challenge China. Ebba Busch said she had urged Brussels to expand the recipients able to receive EU funding for clean tech projects, so that existing battery makers, such as Northvolt, would be eligible. Busch was speaking after a meeting with European Commission industry chief Stephane Sejourne in Brussels, where they discussed the matter. "It's time to go from words to action and actually decide on that money during this spring," Busch said in an interview. Busch said such support could be "crucial" in helping to ensure Northvolt "could be a company that survives this tough insolvency period with a new incoming owner". "A new incoming owner is also looking to see what will the terms and the possibilities of a viable competitive situation be for Northvolt in the European market." The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Commission last month said it would commit 6 billion euros ($6.55 billion) for clean industries, including battery manufacturing, from the EU Innovation Fund - a pot of money currently earmarked for highly innovative projects, rather than existing technologies. "If the EU Commission keeps on only supporting newcomers within the battery sector, then the 'clean industrial deal' on European soil will be in the hands of China," Busch said, referring to Europe's heavy reliance on imports of key green technologies from China. ($1 = 0.9158 euros)
Reuters
14-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Pro-nuclear Sweden urges more EU focus on energy security
OSLO, March 14 (Reuters) - The European Commission must help secure energy independence for Europe by promoting baseload power production, including nuclear energy, Sweden's Energy and Industry Minister Ebba Busch said on Friday in her latest criticism of the continent's energy policies. Baseload power plants such as nuclear reactors can maintain a stable output regardless of weather and other factors impacting intermittent energy sources such as solar and wind. Countries in favour of expanding nuclear power generation argue that the European Union's energy policy sidelines the technology by not setting targets for it or by funding the construction of new reactors. "Europe must now create an energy sector that secures our independence," Busch said in a video posted on Instagram ahead of a meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels on Monday. "Without energy, no industry. Without industry, no defence. No defence, no sovereignty," she said. Representatives from several pro-nuclear EU countries including France, Belgium and the Netherlands are expected to meet on the sidelines of Monday's meeting to discuss how to further support the technology, Sweden said. "Instead of opposing new baseload power, the European Commission must make a path for new baseload power in Europe," Busch said. The minister has repeatedly spoken out against Europe's over-reliance on renewable energy expansion and has been particularly critical of Germany's decision to shut its fleet of nuclear reactors. Sweden itself closed some of its nuclear plants over the past decade but the current government is taking a firmly pro-nuclear stance and is seeking to build new capacity. The Nordic country last year also halted plans for an electricity interconnector with Germany, arguing that its construction could drive up prices in southern Sweden.
Local Sweden
12-03-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
'To early to say' if Sweden will give foreign Northvolt staff special help
At a press conference held after the company was declared bankrupt on Wednesday, Persson was asked whether engineers from countries outside the EU would be exempted from a rule requiring them to get a new job within three months of being made redundant or lose their right to be resident in Sweden. The government, he said, did not intend to put into place any special measures, but would instead rely on the country's well-established system for major bankruptcies and lay-offs. "This is precisely the same support system that we always kick into action when there is this kind of crisis," he said. "This is precisely the same model that has served Sweden so well." It was, he said, "a little too early to answer" questions over "how many are from other countries and how many are born in Sweden and so on", saying this was something that needed to be "analysed calmly" together with the municipality and the company. He expressed his sympathy with all of those affected by the decision to put Northvolt into bankruptcy. "I have of course a great understanding for the turbulence, the worry, and that you might feel a bit dazed on a day like this," he said. "This is a tough decision and this is something I mean both sincerely and with consideration, Swedish society is built to handle this sort of crisis." Workers made redundant will first be supported by a salary guarantee, after which they will be eligible for A-kassa unemployment benefits and support to retrain to make themselves more employable. He emphasised, however, that Sweden has a tradition of not intervening to prop up failing companies. "Our starting principle is that we don't, perhaps unlike other countries, generally support individual companies. We do not rescue specific jobs but we support people in finding new ones and we support people in a tough time," he said. At the same press conference, Sweden's business minister Ebba Busch said that she still hoped that a way could be found to keep Northvolt's battery factories in Skellefteå and Västerås operating. "I hope of course that the operation will now be able to find a new long-run owner, and that is something the state is of course ready to support," she said. She expressed scepticism, however, about the possibility of a Chinese buyer stepping in, arguing that a key part of Northvolt's strategic rationale had been that it was a European-owned battery producer. "It's not the case that there's been a lack of players in the battery market, it's more that we've had a surplus of battery manufacturers in Europe, of whom very few have been European," she said. "That [being a European company] has been their big competitive advantage. That's a choice the company itself can make if it doesn't want to have that unique selling point." There was a bigger picture, she continued, above and beyond the individual case of Northvolt, which was the anti-competitive behaviour from China and the US, and the need to build up European independence in strategic industries like batteries. "The playing field is not fair for battery manufacturers in the European market and it probably never has been," she said. "I think Europe has been far too naive in many of the critical parts of the green transition in the face of competition from countries who act in ways that would never be acceptable within the EU's own territory, but which right now is what is knocking out otherwise viable European companies." In the same way that Europe is now ramping up its military defence, she said, it needed to build up independent production in the key technologies needed for the green and digital transitions. "If we're going to rearm Europe and Sweden to be strong in a real way we can't just do it militarily," she said. "We also need to look at those parts of our business sector which allow us to safeguard our independence and which also safeguard the growth which means that we can continue to finance both our defence and our welfare going forward."
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sweden announces air defence systems transfer to Ukraine worth almost US$113 million
The Swedish government has announced the transfer of air defence systems to Ukraine worth 1.2 billion Swedish kronor (almost US$113 million). Source: Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Ebba Busch, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business, and Industry, and Minister of Education Johan Pehrson, cited by the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, as the Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reports Details: The authors noted that they "can now announce the purchase of air defence systems worth a total of 1.2 billion kronor to donate to Ukraine." The article specifies that Stockholm will send Robot 70 and Tridon Mk2 air defence systems. "By supporting Ukraine, we strengthen our own security," the Swedish officials noted. Background: The European Union countries were discussing a military aid package for Ukraine amounting to at least €6 billion, aimed at strengthening the country's strategic position ahead of the US-led negotiation with Russia. Politico's article states that the aid package could be announced ahead of the symbolic visit of European commissioners to Kyiv scheduled for 24 February. Prior to this, the media outlet reported that the EU was considering a large-scale plan to increase defence spending and provide military aid to Ukraine, with funding expected to reach approximately €700 billion. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
